For each organization, be sure to include the mission statement, the current state of the sport organization, the goal of the global sport business, and the potential target foreign markets

Milestone One

Milestone One Steven K. Goozie

SPT 565

Southern New Hampshire University

1. Major League Baseball expansion into India

A. Mission Statement

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Major League Baseball’s (MLB) is the following: “We achieve our beliefs by

demonstrating through our leadership our commitment to preserving core human values,

promoting passion for the game of baseball, globally showcasing its values, heritage, and heroes,

and by serving the unique needs of players.” (missionstatement.com 2021)

A possible expansion into India represents an opportunity for MLB to spread the love and

joy for the game of baseball on a continuing global scale, as well as introducing a sport to a

growing population that offers some similarity to a game that is loved and enjoyed by the

population of India, cricket.

B. Current State

MLB has already reached into India by introducing over 300,000 children ages 8-14

through 320 workshops across the country through its First Pitch program. (Chaudhary 2020)

MLB is trying to reach schools specifically as a focus area. The best way to grow something is

to touch the youth of whatever area or market you are trying to enter. India had been exposed to

baseball through the reality show Million Dollar Arm, which produced two winners that were

signed to contracts back in 2008 and is on the docket to be produced again in the near future.

There is already a basic skill set that aligns with the game of cricket, as both are bat and

ball games. There is no intention to try to use baseball as a replacement or an alternative to

cricket, but the novelty of baseball may allow it to get some sort of foothold as another viable

sporting option to the Indian population. Many Indian youth have the coordination to hit a

baseball, or the arm strength to throw a baseball. I can see, with the right marketing, Indian

youth having an interest in baseball. Once the basics of the game are learned, then the intricacies

are then learned from there. For example, a double play drill was being run by some kids 13-14

years old. The drill was inefficient and the second baseman was not able to get the proper

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Milestone One

footwork down right away, but the throw was strong and accurate. The skill set is definitely

there to transition from cricket to baseball. (Walton 2019)

MLB does have an office in New Delhi, but the big difference between that office and

other international offices is that MLB’s other offices are in countries that are baseball loving and

savvy such as Japan, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. This expansion into a country where

baseball is in its infancy represents a challenge to grow the game from scratch, but it is an

opportunity to bring the game to one of the largest populations in the world.

C. Goal

The goal here is to create the three aspects of spreading a sport into India: participation,

content, and live events. The aforementioned First Pitch program will lay the foundation by

launching baseball academies around the country. The next aspect is to make MLB content

available to Indian baseball fans through MLB.TV and other outlets, including broadcasts in

Hindi. The third aspect would be to possibly have an MLB exhibition or even regular season

games in India. This third aspect would be far down the road, but it is certainly possible. The

overall goal is to make baseball, and Major League Baseball, something very popular and

profitable in India. You never know when you may see the first Major League player from India.

2. American Cornhole Organization expansion into Japan

A. Mission Statement

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The mission statement for the ACO is to increase awareness and competition of the sport

of cornhole by governing the rules and regulations of the sport, hosting tournaments, and

fostering a community of players, both social and professional. (ACO 2021) A possible

expansion into Japan would fall directly in line with the mission statement.

B. Current State

As of this writing, there is no organized cornhole played in Japan, so Japan is ripe for

expansion. The ACO would be able to introduce the game to Japan and its population, first on a

somewhat social level, then as people learn the game, leagues and tournaments could begin. I

could see an expansion of the sport of cornhole much like the sport of curling in Japan. I could

see some very skilled cornhole players from Japan, much like the curling teams. The two sports

do offer some level of similarity and skill. Also, one great thing about cornholes is that one does

not have to be really strong or really tall in order to excel. It just takes a lot of hand-eye

coordination in order to be successful. There is also an element of strategy in order to be

proficient at the sport. All of these things could lead to a boom in cornhole worldwide.

C. Goal

My goal here is to introduce the world to a truly American sport. I think there is a terrific

chance to take a sport that was developed in the midwestern US and grow it worldwide. Japan

would be a good place to start because, as previously mentioned, cornhole does not require size

and strength to be proficient. It requires skill, discipline, and strategy. I think it could be

introduced as a recreational sport to the masses, but there will be people who take to it and

become extremely proficient. I can envision cornhole to become a bit like darts, which is played

worldwide also. Cornholes can spread simply because the equipment needed is not expensive

relative to other sports and it does not require huge tracts of land to be able to set up a playing

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surface. Japan has taken to many sports developed here in the US such as baseball, bowling, and

golf. All of these require large capital investments by its participants. The entry costs to play

cornhole are very minimal compared to these other sports. Due to the low entry costs, I can see

this growing quickly once the Japanese people are exposed to the sport.

References

American Cornhole League. (n.d.). https://www.iplaycornhole.com/.

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Become a Professional Cornhole Player. Cornhole Worldwide. (2020, June 9). https://www.cornholeworldwide.com/play-cornhole/become-a-professional-cornhole- player/.

Bose, S. (2020, August 27). Major League Baseball May Take Cricket's Help To Spread Footprint In India. https://www.outlookindia.com/. https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/sports-news-major-league-baseball-may-take- crickets-help-to-spread-footprint-in-india/359420.

Chaudhary, A. (2020, August 20). Major League Baseball VP Jim Small dreams big for baseball in cricket-crazy India. The Economic Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/sports/major-league-baseball-vp-jim-small- dreams-big-for-baseball-in-cricket-crazy-india/articleshow/77314356.cms.

Jones, J. (2020, December 23). World Cornhole Championships Coming to the Bradenton Area in 2021. https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/golf/world-cornhole-championships-coming- to-the-bradenton-area-in-2021/ar-BB1c9XMn.

MLB Hopes Similarity With Cricket Could Give It a Head Start in India. OnManorama. (n.d.). https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/other-sports/2020/07/31/major-league-baseball-mlb- cricket-india-covid-19.html.

MLB Mission Statement 2021: MLB Mission & Vision Analysis. MLB Mission Statement 2021 | MLB Mission & Vision Analysis. (2021, February 22). https://mission-statement.com/mlb- mission/.

Thomson Reuters. (2020, October 20). MLB to bring World Series and Million Dollar Arm back to Indian TV. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/baseball-mlb-india- idUSKBN2750AZ.

Walton, C. R. (2019, May 2). MLB Sets Sights On New Markets In India, Europe. College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects – Baseball America. https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/mlb-sets-sights-on-new-markets-in-india-europe/.

World Cornhole Organization. WCO. (n.d.). http://iplaywco.com/.

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I. Overview

A. Mission Statement

TYR Sport is an organization dedicated to producing apparel and equipment for swimming

and triathlon athletes. Their mission reads, “From the planning stages to the production floor,

everything we do revolves around synthesizing creativity, experience and sheer will power. For

us, engineering the fastest, most advanced performance products is more than just a goal, it’s a

requirement ” (TYR Sport Inc., n.d.). Furthermore, TYR Sport has partnered with USA

Swimming to bring national and international swimmers to compete in preparation for the

Olympic Games through the event TYR Pro Swim Series. And in respect to the partnership,

USA Swimming’s mission states, “We promote the culture of swimming by creating safe and

healthy opportunities for athletes and coaches of all backgrounds to participate and advance in

the sport through clubs, events and education” (“Overview”, n.d.).

Expanding the TYR Pro Swim Series into an international market aligns with both TYR

Sport and USA Swimming’s mission statements as they are to promote and introduce their best

at an international event. The TYR Pro Swim Series already serves as a global stage, considering

USA Swimming Chief Commercial Officer Shana Ferguson’s statement, “We are fortunate to

have incredible partners and strong local clubs’ support as we showcase the world’s greatest

athletes in communities throughout the U.S. We will continue to use the TYR Pro Swim Series

to provide more exposure to the best in international competition” (USA Swimming, 2020).

B. Current State

Currently, the TYR Pro Swim Series only takes place in the U.S. and is organized by USA

Swimming. Specifically, “The TYR Pro Swim Series is a 3.5-day long course event televised on

NBCSN, the Olympic Channel, as well as live streamed at usaswimming.org. Historically, each

stop attracts between 400-600 of the world’s top swimmers including, USA Swimming National

Team members, Junior National Team members and top-50 world ranked swimmers” (USA

Swimming, 2020). Additionally, the 2019 TYR Pro Swim Series had “more than 1,100 domestic

and international athletes participating in at least one of the five events and prize money totaling

more than $540,000” (USA Swimming, 2020).

But an increased popularity of the TYR Pro Swim Series has led to public criticism of the

lack of diversity in their partners USA Swimming. The USA Swimming Foundation is composed

of hundreds of thousands of year-round, seasonal and non-athlete members across the nation,

from recreational and water safety programs to elite and national levels, the organization is a

recognizable one nationwide. Though USA Swimming has gone off to win over 500 Olympic

medals, yet it was nearly four years ago in August 2016 that Simon Manuel became the first

African-American female to win an individual Olympic gold medal (Donella, 2016). After her

win, Manuel said, “I hope I’m an inspiration to others to get out there and try swimming. You

might be pretty good at it” (Donella, 2016).

C. Goal

The overall goal of this business plan will be to expand the TYR Pro Swim Series to Mexico.

The chosen country is a suitable international market to expand to as it partakes in the event and

it’s geographically closest to the U.S. with a warmer climate. Also, MacIntosh, Bravo and Li

(2020) reveal that in Mexico, “An overall increase in the standard of living, technological

advances in communications, more government involvement, and the expansion of global

corporatism have all boosted the popularity of sport across the region” (p. 50). The expansion

will help promote diversity in the sport of swim and help increase its awareness by encouraging

people to consume it, because studies have shown “that nearly 60 percent of Latino children [in

the U.S.] can’t swim” (Beans, 2016).